In a shocking case of cyber fraud, a 25-year-old student from IIT Bombay lost ₹7.29 lakh after falling prey to a new scam, the "digital arrest" scheme. The victim was contacted by a fraudster posing as an employee of the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI), who intimidated him into paying a substantial amount.

The scam began when the student received a call in July, where the caller claimed that 17 complaints of illegal activities had been registered against his mobile number. The caller demanded payment to prevent deactivation of his number and falsely promised that the student would be connected to the Cyber Crime Branch.

A WhatsApp video call followed, where the fraudster, dressed as a police officer, accused the student of money laundering and coerced him into transferring ₹29,500. The fraudster then threatened the student with "digital arrest" and prohibited him from contacting anyone.

The scam continued over the next day when the fraudsters drained ₹7 lakh from the student's bank account. It was only after conducting an online search that the victim realized he had been scammed and approached the police to file a complaint.
Authorities are urging people to stay vigilant against such scams and to avoid sharing personal details over unverified calls.